Law School Buyouts

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.21.16

* What's the difference between the late Justice Antonin Scalia and Chief Judge Merrick Garland, his potential replacement? "[He] always sounds the same. Most of the time, he is very even-toned, not aggressive.” For starters, Scalia's dissents were usually fiery and entertaining, while Garland's dissents tend to be very respectful and courteous. [Washington Post] * "[T]here were errors and flaws in the way Thomas Jefferson carried out their research." An expert retained by Anna Alaburda in her suit against Thomas Jefferson Law testified that the methods the law school used to collect grads' job data were improper and could have caused some inaccurate info to be reported. [Courthouse News Service] * Donald Trump's presidential campaign -- and his path to the White House -- may be interrupted by a pesky fraud trial over his now defunct real estate school. The Donald will likely be asked to testify by New York AG Eric Schneiderman, and if he pleads the Fifth, it could have YUGE implications on his defense strategy. [WSJ Law Blog] * “When someone — or something — is going away, there are usually some people that want to get it before it goes away, for whatever reason." Racist memorabilia? Harvard Law is trying to quickly eliminate all ties to its controversial shield, but its bookstore will be slowly selling off all remaining merchandise bearing the symbol. [Boston Globe] * "The average graduate cannot expect to make enough in the years following graduation to even hope to make a dent in the student loans they take on from going to law school. And that's if they can even pass the bar and find a job as an attorney." Law profs face buyouts, but their students aren't in a much better position. [Northwest Indiana Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.23.14

* "Instead of ordering the Marshal to permit a desegregated Christmas party at the Court, the Court hosted no party at all." Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote in his diary of the SCOTUS Christmas party that never was due to the high court's unspoken racism. [Supreme Court Brief] * We know of at least one lawyer who may be receiving a lump of coal in her stocking. A former partner of two major New York City firms allegedly stole millions of dollars from them to live a life of luxury. We'll have more on this later today. [Bergen Record] * Since "interest in law schools [is] dwindl[ing] nationally," the easiest cost-cutting measure comes in the form of faculty buyouts at another school. Don't hate the playa, hate the game, law professors. It's a "necessary" evil these days. [The Advocate] * President Obama is going to nominate Sally Quillian Yates, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, for the position of deputy attorney general. If confirmed, there'll be two women at the top of the DOJ. Yay! [Miami Herald] * Guess who just got promoted to partner at Boies Schiller & Flexner? It's none other than Joshua Schiller, the son of the firm's cofounder and managing partner. Aww. That's the most precious thing ever. We just want to pinch his cheeks. [Am Law Daily] * Before you submit your law school applications, you should probably make sure that you've read and followed all of the instructions, because just in case you forgot, you're applying to follow instructions for a living. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
4th Circuit

Morning Docket: 05.14.14

* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may retire by the end of summer 2015, or she may retire by the end of summer 2017, or she may retire whenever she damn well pleases. For the love of God, please stop with this. [Legal Intelligencer] * The Fourth Circuit appears to be split on Virginia’s gay marriage ban. The Tenth Circuit appeared to be split on Utah’s gay marriage ban. We’ll give you three guesses on the eventual Supreme Court outcome. [New York Times] * Law deans lose their jobs when their schools drop in rank, and it seems Biglaw chairmen lose their titles when their firms post the worst single-year drop in revenue ever. Sorry Bingham McCutchen. [Am Law Daily] * Ex-D&Ler Zach Warren wants to sever his case from the likes of Joel Sanders and the Steves, using a “guilt by association” argument. The only thing he’s guilty of is being too cute. [National Law Journal] * The drama continues at Albany Law, where faculty members now face possible pay cuts or being put on unpaid leave following a “smear campaign” waged against Dean Penelope Andrews. [Albany Times Union]

By Staci Zaretsky